Hawks Season In Review: John Jenkins

Friday, May 16, 2014

By Robby Kalland

Note: We use stats per 36 minutes instead of stats per game on the graphics. The reason behind that is stats per 36 tell a more complete story of how a player did while he was on the court, as opposed to per game stats which averages a player’s stats based on the number of games that player appeared in, regardless of how many minutes he played. The per 36 minutes compares all players equally by taking the minutes played out of the equation to measure the most effective players during their time on the court.

John Jenkins‘ second season was marred by constant back issues from the start of the season, eventually ending in him having season-ending back surgery on Feb. 3. Jenkins’ back problems started in training camp and limited him to just 13 games played this season.

The Hawks had high hopes coming into camp for Jenkins, as he was expected to provide another shooter off the bench for Coach Bud’s offense that places such a heavy emphasis on spacing and the three-point shot. His back problems clearly effected his shooting when he was able to get into game action, as he shot just 38.1 percent from the field and 22.2 percent from three-point range.

Jenkins’ best shooting game came against the Rockets on Nov. 27, when he had a season high 13 points and was 3-of-6 from the three-point line. As the back injury continued to be a problem, Jenkins struggled to get on the court, and when he did he struggled to be effective.

Jenkins hopes to rebound in the 2014-15 season, and at exit interviews Coach Bud said he was excited to see Jenkins participate in Summer League. Despite the disappointment of this past season, Jenkins, if he can stay healthy and on form, will have an opportunity to be a contributor with the way he seems to fit in Bud’s offense.